Question about PIXMA ip4500

I just bought this printer a few days ago, (the PIXMA ip4500) and finally got around to setting it up tonight. Now, this is going to sound a bit blasphemous to some of you who own this printer but, for now I only want to use it for documents.

I'll eventually use it to print photos, and may even do so in the next couple of weeks, but the reason I'm mentioning using it for text only right now, is because of the "flashing orange" warning message that is happening right now. It's blinking orange x4 and in the quick guide it states that this may be due to ink being installed incorrectly, or because of ink needing to be replaced (empty).

However, I'm thinking that the reason it's blinking is because the only cartridge I installed was the #5 PGBK. I figured that if I wanted to print documents only at this point, that I wouldn't need to install the other 4 cartridges. Am I way off on this assumption, and should I/do I have to install the other ones anyway ?

Couple other questions: maintenance of the printer... Should I keep the printer on at all times to avoid ink drying in the wells, or does that not method not necessarily apply to this range or type of printer ? This is the biggest reason I wanted to install the black head only at this point, because I would rather avoid having to bother with maintenance for now.

Suggestions and comments please ?

Doug

Install the other cartridges, you can force it to work without them but it's easier. Turn it on and off as you like.

So ink drying out due to inactivity isn't a big issue ? I don't mind keeping it on if it's healthier for the printer in the long run. I also don't mind having to challenge myself by printing a new photo every week, just to keep the ink flowing, so to speak.

Doug

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=394683

It turns itself off if you leave it turned on. I never had an issue with ink drying out with my older ip5000, it would sometimes not print anything for a month then worked fine when I printed something.

Actually, I believe its BETTER to turn it off (or have it turn of automatically after set period of time). When that happens, you can be sure that the heads go into a parked position to help prevent drying ink clogging the nozzles. I think many late-model printers also park their heads automatically, even if the printer itself doesn't shut off. In that case, the only thing leaving it turned on does is pull a little extra electricity from the wall.

I just use the auto-off feature of my IP4300, and never have had to go through an extensive cleaning process. Usually just a test page after installing new cartridges.